Expedition Barlow opinions

[EngrSorenson]

I haven't had much chance to carry it just yet, but I've definitely been admiring it since I got it, lol. The desert ironwood is nice, but what really makes it crazy is the damascus. Not only was it forged by the legendary Chad Nichols, but it was forged from steel salved from the barrel of a stinking Leopard tank!!

Okay… that’s pretty cool. Aren’t you a new papa now? Where are you getting all this free cash for tank barrel knives?

 

[draggat]

I LOVE that brass bolster and the patina is going to be gorgeous!

 

[Fixall]

Nice to have you back around Brian!

Thanks Todd, it’s good to be back! I have so much catching up to do, I haven’t been able to figure out where to start, lol!

Okay… that’s pretty cool. Aren’t you a new papa now? Where are you getting all this free cash for tank barrel knives?

Yessir!

Haha, the wifey and in-laws actually got together and bought me the Leopard tank knife (and a Sherman tank knife!) for my birthday.

I’ve definitely slowed down a bit since the baby arrived though. Not so much because of the money, but because of the lack of time. I just don’t have enough time to keep up with the forum and new releases lately! I’m hoping that changes soon (it seems to be getting easier), but that’s probably naive, lol.

 

[EngrSorenson]

Haha, the wifey and in-laws actually got together and bought me the Leopard tank knife (and a Sherman tank knife!) for my birthday.

I’ve definitely slowed down a bit since the baby arrived though.

Congrats, buddy- I’m really happy for you! And I guess having a kid is something to get excited about, too.

Boy or Girl, name, and have you picked out a Boker Expedition for them yet?

 

[bigfish64]

Thanks Todd, it’s good to be back! I have so much catching up to do, I haven’t been able to figure out where to start, lol!



Yessir!

Haha, the wifey and in-laws actually got together and bought me the Leopard tank knife (and a Sherman tank knife!) for my birthday.

I’ve definitely slowed down a bit since the baby arrived though. Not so much because of the money, but because of the lack of time. I just don’t have enough time to keep up with the forum and new releases lately! I’m hoping that changes soon (it seems to be getting easier), but that’s probably naive, lol.

Congratulations on your baby Brian!

 

[dsutton24]

I've got a bunch of Bokers, and I've never regretted buying any of them.

The problem with comparing Brand B against Brand G is that there are a lot of collectors that aren't rational about what they collect and why. Not only are fit and finish very subjective, brand loyalty often trumps all other factors.

My policy is that if I like it, and I can afford it, I buy it and don't worry about others' opinions. If you're buying from most reputable dealers, the knife can always be returned.

 

[Fixall]

Congrats, buddy- I’m really happy for you! And I guess having a kid is something to get excited about, too.

Boy or Girl, name, and have you picked out a Boker Expedition for them yet?

Ha!

His name is Ezra. No Boker’s yet, but I did pick him up a Buck 110 with a 2021 date code and a limited edition Buck 117 that was made the same month he was born.

Congratulations on your baby Brian!

 

[Sacto]

Thanks Todd, it’s good to be back! I have so much catching up to do, I haven’t been able to figure out where to start, lol!



Yessir!

Haha, the wifey and in-laws actually got together and bought me the Leopard tank knife (and a Sherman tank knife!) for my birthday.

I’ve definitely slowed down a bit since the baby arrived though. Not so much because of the money, but because of the lack of time. I just don’t have enough time to keep up with the forum and new releases lately! I’m hoping that changes soon (it seems to be getting easier), but that’s probably naive, lol.

Congrats and good luck with the lack of time. Mine are 8 and 11 and I’m still hoping the lack of time changes soon . It’s worth it, though.

 

[OldHercDude]

I’ve been drooling over the expedition Barlow by Böker now for a while. It’s a really awesome looking knife. My problem with it is that it’s extraordinarily expensive for what you get. I understand that being interested in traditional knives tends to put me in a zone in which total cost may come out to significantly more than the sum of any knife’s parts. That said, it’s quite a bit more than a brand new GEC. I understand that “worth” is a very subjective term, but in terms of fit and finish, how do these stack up to something from GEC and, in your opinion, is the knife worth the asking price? Thanks in advance.

As been mentioned, price is relative and what constitutes "worth it" will vary from person to person.

I only have one GEC to directly compare, and it's not a Barlow. F&F on my Boker Barlows is comparable, W&T on the Bokers is better than my GEC Toothpick. (It will most likely go to GEC at some point to see if it can be fixed.)

I like my Expedition Barlow enough I bought a spare. The "worst" one has a slightly off-centered blade, visible seams at the bolster, a few stray canvas threads at the shield hole. Otherwise, good F&F and W&T.

Recycled photo from last month:

I have the boker expedition barlow (just got it this month) and I'm not super happy with it for the price. The thing that's irking me is the lack of care on the bolsters from the factory. The blade is slightly off-centered which I'm alright with but the bolsters make me wanna sell it.

My "worst" one isn't anywhere near that bad, it would irk me as well.

Ha!

His name is Ezra. No Boker’s yet, but I did pick him up a Buck 110 with a 2021 date code and a limited edition Buck 117 that was made the same month he was born.

Congrats on the kiddo!

 

[Murdamook]

This hasn’t been my experience with Boker knives Murdamook. I own a lot of Boker knives, mostly Barlows and have been very satisfied with what I got relative to what I paid.


This would depend on where you get the new GEC, or even if you can get one. I understand that you aren’t considering availability, but with all due respect, I feel like it must be a consideration if you are contemplating a purchase. As JohnDF points out, GEC are very expensive if you actually want to buy one. It doesn’t really matter what the factory price is if you can’t get it for that price.

Bottom line, I have found the F&F of Boker to be worth the asking price. Here are the last three Bokers I bought. In my opinion, they are all extremely high quality and worth what I paid. View attachment 1623557

The reason I primarily picked GEC is because I own a few and, specifically, I own two 15s. I know the Barlow is roughly the same size. When I brought up cost for materials, I was more referencing the 440C. I get that this is traditional territory though, and steel consideration isn’t frequently on the shortlist but 150ish just seems so expensive for 440C when I paid 70-80$ for each of my 15s.

 

[davek14]

Interesting that Barlows were originally the inexpensive working man's knife.

I love them dearly as well.

 

[Pomsbz]

As been mentioned, price is relative and what constitutes "worth it" will vary from person to person.

I only have one GEC to directly compare, and it's not a Barlow. F&F on my Boker Barlows is comparable, W&T on the Bokers is better than my GEC Toothpick. (It will most likely go to GEC at some point to see if it can be fixed.)

I like my Expedition Barlow enough I bought a spare. The "worst" one has a slightly off-centered blade, visible seams at the bolster, a few stray canvas threads at the shield hole. Otherwise, good F&F and W&T.

Recycled photo from last month:

My "worst" one isn't anywhere near that bad, it would irk me as well.



Congrats on the kiddo!

That's a really nice one.

 

[draggat]

Interesting that Barlows were originally the inexpensive working man's knife.

I love them dearly as well.

The same goes for a lot of the 'rugged man' accessories these days. Heavy duty leather boots of an olden day style, even the hardcore Carhartt overalls I used to wear have become soft and fashionable. Most of you have probably seen bespoke post subscription boxes that include fancy hatchets and other manly things. I think a lot of young men have not experienced the hard work of our forefathers, but are drawn to the tools and style they had. Makes perfect sense to me that a Barlow would become a coveted prize. Heck, I like them too, but it's hard not to notice the irony. The working man's knife is usually a $5 gas station hunk of junk nowdays

 

[buckthorn]

The same goes for a lot of the 'rugged man' accessories these days. Heavy duty leather boots of an olden day style, even the hardcore Carhartt overalls I used to wear have become soft and fashionable. Most of you have probably seen bespoke post subscription boxes that include fancy hatchets and other manly things. I think a lot of young men have not experienced the hard work of our forefathers, but are drawn to the tools and style they had. Makes perfect sense to me that a Barlow would become a coveted prize. Heck, I like them too, but it's hard not to notice the irony. The working man's knife is usually a $5 gas station hunk of junk nowdays

Very astute observation-can even be extended to many of today’s pickup trucks.

 

[JohnDF]

When I brought up cost for materials, I was more referencing the 440C. I get that this is traditional territory though, and steel consideration isn’t frequently on the shortlist but 150ish just seems so expensive for 440C when I paid 70-80$ for each of my 15s.

The GEC Barlows go for about the same prices as the Boker Barlows (the Barlows generally cost a lot more than the Boys knife). The GEC Barlows have carbon steel blades and people will generally pay a little extra for Stainless Steel blades, even if it's 440C.
But basically it's a wash; they both have similar prices, they both have similar build quality, they both use good materials, they both have good reputations, they have both made owners happy. So ya... The Boker Barlows are worth the money.

 

[EngrSorenson]

Yeah, I’ve been shopping Boker barlows since this post, and it seems like anything around $110 is probably pretty reasonable for what I would consider a good value for performance and materials- allow extra for tank barrel Damascus . I’m just spoiled by GEC- I got two outstanding 38 Whittlers, each for less than what some of these Boker barlows command. Personally I consider the divided 2 spring Whittler the hardest to make and should… all things being equal… be the pricier knife. It’s next to impossible to compare these things though- I think that’s why folks focus more on fit and finish rather than “will it cut?”.

at the end of the day, things are only worth what you’re willing to pay!

 

[Greasepiggy]

I really like the Böker barlows I’ve got. They cut stuff very well and are pleasing to the eye and in the hand. I think they represent a good value in that they’re well made and seem like they’ll last a long time. None of mine came with a wobbly blade either - unlike some Buck, Case and GEC knives I’ve received (OK I should be grateful for that lack of QC, as it’s given me the chance to learn how to fix the blade wobble right??).
Cash value is in the brain of the buyer…
I mean I’d never buy a Tesla, but I might pony up the same cash for the right antique motorcycle.

 

[JohnDF]

at the end of the day, things are only worth what you’re willing to pay!

Truth

 

[Kiteman72]

After all the positive things I had been reading here on the forum about these Barlows, I ordered one of the two tone micartas (the cheaper black and red one) to try out. I have had great Bokers in the past, so I was jazzed.

When the package showed up, I must say the presentation is everything you would want at this price point. Very fancy! The knife is a nice little size too! Unfortunatley, mine just had no talk at all. I mean, at all. It popped open nicely, good walk! But the blade actually had to be pushed all the way closed. What a bummer! Such a beautiful little pocket knife, but just not acceptable. I tried to convince myself for a bit that it would "break in" or some such but soon decided that for that kind of money I should expect better. I suspect the lazy blade had something to do with the micarta and the blade finish not going together very well.

It was wrapped up for return to the retailer that very day. I got a refund and whistled on my way.

And that is my personal experience with a recently made Boker barlow.

 

[SteveD12]

Is that epoxy?

I don't believe so. I ran my finger over it many times and I don't feel anything there - I am considering keeping the knive and giving it a hard polish with a slight abrasive like a sunshine cloth to see if it's just some tarnish at the edges of the bolster. As mentioned in previous posts the packaging it came with was amazing - a nice box with a well made wool feeling "sunglasses" case with compartments for organization.

I don’t blame you for being unhappy with that quality at any price from any maker. Who wouldn’t be? Have you tried to contact the dealer to see if something can be worked out?

I purchased it from a European website where English clearly wasn't the first language so I don't know if it's quite worth the effort. I might contact Boker USA though, thank you for the suggestion!